2010: Bubba gives a boost to Blanche

The Hill on the National Republican Senatorial Committee's recent "allegations of primary favoritism" after fundraising for "establishment-favored candidates" Carly Fiorina (CA), Trey Grayson (KY) and Kelly Ayotte (NH): "If these outsider candidates think the NRSC is bluffing, why don't they call the committee on it and seek its help? The answer: because they're perfectly happy to be on the outside looking in… It's clear that the NRSC seeks out some candidates and is more proactive in helping them. But at some point, campaigns begin to embrace and use their outsider status to their advantage -- especially in the current environment. At this point, they have more to gain by staying the outsiders.

ARKANSAS: "Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark.) got a boost in her reelection effort on Thursday morning by way of a fundraising e-mail from former President Bill Clinton," The Hill writes. Clinton: "I am going to tell you what I told Sen. Lincoln this week: She's going to win this thing. Make no mistake, this will be a tough fight. But I know Sen. Lincoln well and I know she is up to it. That's why I'm standing with her, and I'm asking you to do the same."

NEW HAMPSHIRE: Democratic candidate Paul Hodes took on Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman (I) "in a scathing fundraising email," the New Hampshire Union-Leader reports. "Asking for "$5 or more" for his campaign committee, the Democratic U.S. Senate candidate and two-term House member tells supporters, "We don't need any more Joe Liebermans to slow us down. His antics will only delay reform and keep insurance companies in charge of our health care."

NEW YORK:The New York Post's Gershman on Gov. Paterson and 2010: "For the better part of the year, New York's political world has operated under the assumption that Gov. Paterson had buried himself in a bottomless grave and that Attorney General Cuomo is a shoo-in for the job. But while Cuomo still holds a commanding lead in the polls, the odds against Paterson aren't quite as impossible as they once seemed -- because the key question isn't whether Paterson has a realistic shot at beating Cuomo in a Democratic primary. (He doesn't.) It's whether he can deter Cuomo from running. And that's where Paterson's simple strategy is paying off."

PENNSYLVANIA: Rep. Joe Sestak (D), a challenger for Sen. Arlen Specter's seat, is criticizing Specter for not pushing hard enough for a public option in the Senate health care reform bill, The Hill writes.

UTAH: The LA Times looks at the primary challenge to Sen. Bob Bennett, despite a solid Republican voting record and scandal-free three-term tenure. Bennett's conservative primary challengers, including Cherilyn Eagar, are "boosted by the conservative Club for Growth [and] cite Bennett's extended time in Washington and criticize his willingness to work with Democrats on issues such as healthcare reform and the Wall Street rescue approved amid last year's financial crisis," the Times writes. The Times adds that Bennett, who did not run a single campaign spot in 2004, has already spent more than $500,000 in this race, "exceeding what some entire Utah congressional races cost."